Feral
by Lady of the Shards
Summary: Bruce goes into an alleyway and comes out with something that will change his life forever. (Rated T, but warning for possible triggers and some dark themes. I do not own Avengers.)


Feral

Chapter 1

**xXxXx**

Bruce had watched several people walk by the alleyway across the street and glance down it for a moment before hurrying their steps. That wouldn't have been odd in the city he was visiting, but twenty people in a row doing the exact same thing was a bit out of the ordinary. Bruce glanced down at the disappointing cup of tea he had bought at the café and stood up. After leaving a decent tip for the waitress, he wandered over to the alley.

Terrified dark green eyes stared back at him from the end of the alley. Long, filthy black hair hung in a front of a young face. Vicious inflamed cuts covered the arms and legs of the young girl. She shoved herself farther into the shadows, her bare hands and feet slipping in the small pool of blood that had started to form underneath her.

Bruce held his hands up in front of him and slowly approached the girl, stopping halfway down the alley when a low whine of fear came from her. He carefully lowered himself to the ground, ignoring the grime and blood that seeped into his jeans. He rested his hands on his knees and tried to make himself as unthreatening as possible—a lot easier when he wasn't giant and green. "I just want to help you. Will you tell me your name?"

Suspicion and fear were rolling off the girl as she brought her knees to her chest and pressed her back firmly against the side of the alley. Her eyes studied Bruce silently for several minutes.

"…licia"

The voice was so quiet, Bruce nearly missed it entirely. He leaned forward slightly. "Alicia?"

A tiny shake of the head. "Felicia." Her voice was barely louder, but Bruce managed to catch.

He smiled gently at the girl. "That's a pretty name. My name's Bruce." He tried to catch her eyes which were now flickering over to the entrance to the alley. "May I take a look at your injuries? They don't look well."

The girl jerked, surprise clear on her face, temporarily overriding the fear. She stared at him, eyes wide, clearly trying to tell what he would do.

Bruce smiled a bit sadly. "I won't hurt you. I just want to help."

The girl tilted her head for a moment before slowly creeping away from the wall, inching closer to Bruce. After hesitating and nearly going backwards several times, she was finally close enough for Bruce to get a proper look at her injuries. A flash of green appeared in his eyes before he swiftly pushed his anger down and aside, choosing to focus on the girl. He gingerly took her arm, turning it slowly to see all the cuts. He realized that what he had first thought was a long sleeved pink shirt was actually a white turtleneck that had been almost completely stained by her blood. What had once been sturdy jeans now had been sliced almost to bits. He refocused on her cuts, some of which seemed to be almost two weeks old. She was painfully thin, and the clothes hung on her tiny frame.

He suppressed a sigh and looked the girl, who was clearly fighting the urge to yank her arm away. "There's not much I can do here, these really need to be cleaned and properly treated. Several of the cuts are severely infected. We really should get you to a hospital." He made sure that he was barely holding onto her arm. "Is that alright?"

The girl twisted uncomfortably for a moment before giving a tiny nod.

Bruce slowly and carefully stood before offering his hands to the girl. Her nervous eyes stared at them for a moment before she grabbed them. As soon as she tried to put weight on her right ankle, she nearly fell back down before Bruce caught her and carefully scooped her into his arms.

He swiftly went to the entrance way of the alley and went back towards the café. He went over to one of the café patrons. "Excuse me, but could you call an ambulance? This girl need medical attention."

The patron blinked at him for a moment before pulling out his phone and making the call. Ten minutes later, Bruce was getting into the ambulance with Felicia, who was clearly terrified at the people who had immediately begun to look over the injuries on her feet, which was all she was really letting them near. When they reached the hospital, several police officers were waiting for them.

A male officer began to approach, but Felicia started emitting a low keening whine and tried to bury herself in Bruce's arms. The man quickly backed off and signaled to one of the women of the group.

The woman approached and knelt down in front of them. Felicia was clearly still uneasy, but the horrible sound had ceased for the moment. The woman smiled sadly and gently. "Sweetie? We want to help you. Do you mind if we take a few pictures?"

Felicia's eyes flashed over to the men of the group, terror in her expression, her hand holding onto Bruce's shirt almost tight enough to rip.

"Okay, okay." The woman stood up and glanced back at the group. "How about me and those two over there?" She pointed at the other two women in the group, who waved calmly.

The girl calmed down slightly and nodded. The woman smile in relief and looked at Bruce. "Come this way. A room has been prepared already."

Bruce followed the officer to the hospital room, with a quick stop to request a female doctor and female nurses. Bruce tried to mind Felicia's injuries when he placed her on the bed, but the girl still hissed quietly in pain. When Bruce tried to step out of the way of the police women and nurses, he realized her small hand was still fisted in his shirt and trembling. He knelt down next to the bed the best he could so that he could catch her eyes. "Felicia? I'll be right outside, but I need to get out of their way so that they can help you. They are not going to hurt you."

She studied his face for several minutes before her hand relaxed its grip on his shirt, allowing him to step back and out of the way. The three police women immediately stepped forward and quickly began taking pictures, cataloging her injuries as fast as they could so that she could be treated. Bruce walked to the door and into the hall, a nurse following behind him to close the curtains to give the girl privacy for when they peeled her out of ruined clothes to treat her injuries. A small gap was left when the girl started to panic again.

Bruce listened to the women in the room continuously trying to sooth and calm the girl. Finally, the flashes of the camera ceased and sounds of the girl being moved to the small bathroom connected to the room were heard.

One of the male police officers from earlier approached him. "Sir, could you tell us exactly what happened?"

As Bruce finished recounting the events, a female doctor came up to them holding a pair of scrubs. "Excuse me sir, but if you would like, you could use the room next door to get cleaned up. You're making some of the other patients a bit uncomfortable." She gave a pointed look to his blood stained shirt.

Bruce accepted the scrubs with a grateful smile. "Yes, thank you." He quickly stepped out of the hall and peeled off the clothes that were beyond salvaging and cleaned himself up as best he could. Once he had put on the scrubs, he stepped back into the hall and took a seat. Nearly an hour later, the doctor and a nurse came out of the girl's room and came over to talk to him.

The doctor was frowning deeply, but it was the nurse that spoke first.

"It may be best if you stay with her tonight, Mister…?"

"Ah. Bruce Banner." He offered his hand to each women who politely shook it.

The doctor signaled one of the police officers over before she spoke. "I am not a psychiatrist, but even I can tell that this girl has been mentally, and probably emotionally tortured. Her oldest injuries are nearly three weeks old and she has been starved. Add to that the injuries that could not be seen with her clothes on…"

The police officer tensed, his hands tightening on his notepad. "She was sexually assaulted?"

The doctor nodded, weariness in the lines around her mouth. She focused back on Bruce. "For some reason, that girl has latched on to you. For her, at the moment, you mean safety. When she couldn't see you, she started hyperventilating, and only managed to calm down when she could see you again. I think at this point, if you left she may have a full on breakdown. Would you mind staying for the night?"

Bruce looked over at Felicia, who was watching him anxiously. "Of course."

The doctor nodded and turned to the nurse. "Make sure he has a blanket and a couple of pillows, those chairs aren't that comfortable."

**xXxXx**

Two days of sleeping next to a hospital bed and numerous panic attacks, Bruce asked one of the police officers to bring him his bags from the motel he had checked into.

"Felicia…?" Bruce leaned forward in his change. "How old are you?"

The girl fidgeted with the sheet that rested on her lap, twisting it in her hands. "…Eight."

Bruce ran his fingers through his hair. "Where are you from?"

Felicia seemed to shrink into herself, her eyes filling with something dark. Her face was pale as she silently shook her head her hands trembling violently in her lap.

Bruce reached out and gently stroked her hair, sadness in his expression when she unconsciously leaned into the touch for a moment before flinching away.

**xXxXx**

Two weeks, and several panic inducing visits from social workers, and Felicia was released from the hospital and into Bruce's care. The child had gone with a social worker once, but had been put back in the hospital just a few hours later with a new wound on one of her wrists. One of the female officers had gotten her some basic clothes, just a long sleeve black shirt, a denim jacket, boots and jeans.

She still refused to answer any questions regarding what happened to her.

**xXxXx**

Three months, and Bruce had gotten them lost in a bad area of town.

A drug deal gone very wrong and bullets were flying across the street. Bruce had Felicia tucked into a corner and was shielding her as best he could while hoping that the police got here soon.

Then a stray bullet caught him in the shoulder and the Other Guy decided to visit.

The drug dealers and the newly arrived police were shocked only for a moment before they opened fire. After several thrown cars, it was obvious that the Hulk had had enough. He huffed and took a few lumbering steps back, away from the people who continued to shoot. He glanced over his shoulder, spotting an escape route.

Suddenly small arms grabbed one of his legs and a small voice reached his sensitive ears.

"Are you gonna leave me too?"

**xXxXx**

Bruce groaned as he came to, blinking at the trees branches above him. He knew what had happened, and the flashes only confirmed it. He just hoped the little girl he had been taking care of was alright and that she had not been injured by the Other Guy.

Then a small face entered his range of vision, black hair swinging and green eyes bright and concerned.

"Are you awake now?"

Brue sat up sharply in surprise and was shocked at the blanket that fell into his lap. He looked over at Felicia and noticed a small pile of men's clothes next to her. Bruce frowned at the girl. "Did you steal those?"

She shook her head, a faint barely there smirk on her face allowing Bruce a glimpse of who the girl used to be, and held up a wad of cash. "I grabbed it off the ground just before you picked me up and ran." She shoved the pile of clothes closer to him and pointed over her shoulder. "I'm going to go over there. You stopped next to a lake, and it's really pretty." Without another word she turned and disappeared into the brush, giving him some privacy to get dressed.

Bruce pulled a shirt off the top of the pile of clothes. It was a slightly worn but sturdy pale blue button up that when he pulled on fit him almost perfectly. The rest of the clothes, a sturdy pair of jeans, plain boxers and some sturdy shoes also were close enough to his size to be comfortable. Once he finished pulling all the clothes on, he followed the direction Felicia had disappeared in, finding water just a short ways away.

Felicia had her boots off and was crouched close enough to the water for it to lap at her toes. A soft, faint smile was on her face as she dangled her fingertips in the water and watched as small fish come to investigate them. Bruce was loath to disturb what could be her first moment of peace in months, so he remained silent for a few minutes, watching as the tension that had seemed so much a part of her slowly eased from her shoulders. Her dark green eyes slowly fell shut as a gentle breeze brushed against her hair and face, the black locks stark against her still pale skin. A sudden blink, a sharp breathe and she yanked her hands out of the water and huddled down into a ball, her shoulders tense and trembling.

Bruce took a few steps forward, purposefully make noise to alert her to his presence. "Felicia? Are you okay?"

Felicia's shoulders hunched, her hands fisting in the sleeves of her jacket. Bruce carefully settled next to her and watched the waves, meditating and letting the girl calm down in her own time. Brue was brought out of his meditation nearly an hour later by a small hand gently clasping his sleeve.

"Sorry." Felicia's voice was tiny and frail when she spoke, the tremors that Bruce could feel through her hand clear in her voice. She hunched herself, wrapping her arms around her knees and staring blankly out at the water with haunted eyes.

"Felicia." Bruce gently nudged her chin with one finger, saddened by the fact that even that small touch made her flinch, but she turned and looked at him with numerous emotions in her eyes. "Felicia, there is nothing for you to be sorry about. Nothing. Okay?" She gave a tiny nod after a moment and Bruce carefully brushed some hair away from her face. "Where's your family? They must be so worried." Bruce flinched when he saw the tears welling in her eyes.

Felicia buried her face in her knees. "They're all dead." The sadness and pain in her tear laden voice broke Bruce's heart. He carefully carded his fingers through her hair as she sobbed. After a moment one of her hands broke its tight grip on her knees, reaching towards him and he clasped it in his hand, bringing the other around to give her a comforting hug. She flinched slightly before turning and burying herself in the hug, clinging to him as if her life depended on it.

Finally she calmed down, more from exhaustion and lack of tears than lack of sorrow, and Bruce carefully stood, cradling her in his arms while grabbing her boots as he did. He looked down at the tired girl. "Felicia?"

Her eyes seemed almost broken when she looked up at him.

"You got the clothes from a town near here, correct?

A tiny, shaky nod.

"Could you point me in the right direction?"

A trembling hand pointed off to the southwest. Bruce rested his cheek on the top of her head for just a moment.

"Okay. You get some rest okay?"

Felicia nodded slowly against his chest, already drifting off.

**xXxXx**

Bruce smiled softly when he got back to the motel room he had grudgingly left Felicia in and found her still asleep. He hadn't wanted her to wake up alone while he had gone to get them something to eat. He was glad that there had been a diner just across the street from the motel in the small town in Michigan that they had ended up near.

He watched as the scent of the freshly cooked food brought the young girl to consciousness. Felicia sat up and rubbed at her eyes that were still red from all the crying. Bruce began setting out the foods. "Why don't you go wash your face to help you wake up? Then we can eat."

The still sleepy girl nodded and wandered towards the bathroom, nearly running into the closed door before she remembered to open it.

Bruce was glad that she had had a relatively calm sleep, as she had been waking with choked back screams almost every night since he had met her.

Felicia looked more awake and her eyes looked less sore when she came to the table. Bruce pushed the paper plate of food he had prepared over to her and watched as she dug in. She had gained some weight over the past three months, but she was still very thin. She blinked up at him for a moment when she paused to chew and darted her eyes at the plate in front of him, silently reminding him that he needed to eat as well. Bruce chuckled softly and began to eat his own food, still keeping an eye on the fragile girl that had come into his care.

**xXxXx**

Felicia was standing at the open door of the motel room watching the thick heavy grey clouds that hung above. When the rain finally began to fall, she became fidgety and kept glancing back at Bruce.

"Felicia, do you want to go play in the rain?" Bruce couldn't hide the amusement in his eyes.

Felicia nodded. "I like the rain." Her voice was as quiet as it always seemed to be, but for once wasn't laden with sadness or fear.

Bruce smiled at the girl and made a slight shooing motion with his hands. "Just don't go too far, okay?"

The tiniest of smiles and she was out the door, arms spread and face up to catch the rain.

Bruce watched her for a few minutes before deciding to make a call. He grabbed the phone off its hook and dialed a number he had memorized for emergencies.

"This is Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, how may I help you?"

Bruce's lips twitched as the lady rattled off the long name. "I uh, I need to speak with Natasha Romanov?"

"I'm sorry, I can't—"

Bruce cut the lady off, needing to talk to someone who knew what he was calling about. "This is Doctor Bruce Banner."

A shocked gasp from the other end of the line. "Of course! I'm sorry, I'll connect you immediately!"

A few clicks and Natasha's smooth voice answered. "I was expecting you to call sooner than this, Dr. Banner."

Some tension leaked out of Bruce's shoulders. "How bad?" his voice cracked with worry in the middle.

Natasha was silent for a moment. "A large amount of structural damage, several demolished cars. A few scrapes and bruises." She paused. "No fatalities and no serious injuries."

Bruce collapsed into the chair he had been standing next to. "Oh thank goodness."

He could practically hear her smile on her voice. "We have the bags you left behind and I have been told to tell you that Tony is holding them hostage until you at least come visit."

Brue chuckled, the relief still a heady thing. "I'll, uh, I'll keep that in mind." His eyes drifted over to the window where he saw Felicia slowly turning in the rain.

Natasha was quiet for a few moments. "Bruce." He blinked at the use of his first name. "I'm glad I'm the one you called."

Bruce smiled softly. "Well, I know that you will give it to me straight. The others might try to sugar coat it." He leaned back in his chair, watching Felicia's almost peaceful movements.

"Nothing to sugar coat." Natasha listened as Bruce drew a few slightly shaky breathes. "It would be nice to see you though. Tony is absolutely convinced that you have been captured by someone and are in dire need of rescuing."

Bruce choked back some laughter at the words. "No—" A few chuckles escaped him. "No rescuing necessary. I'm fine."

"But your bags need rescuing." Natasha sounded pleased by the laughter that escaped him. "Come visit New York, Bruce."

"I'll, uh, I'll try. Thank you, Natasha."

Natasha sighed. "You're welcome Bruce. Goodbye."

"Goodbye." Bruce hung up the phone and went to the door of the room, still open and letting the cool breeze that accompanied the rain in. "Felicia." The girl looked at him over her shoulder. "You're soaked, some in and dry off. I don't want you to catch a cold."

The girl came inside but the door stayed open. She disappeared quickly into the bathroom and dried off. Bruce went to the bag they had found her at the local thrift shop, a sturdy blue denim backpack with white stars painted on, and got her a change of clothes, leaving them on the table just in reach of the bathroom door. Felicia poked her head out and spotted them before grabbing them and disappearing again. Bruce heard a quick shower run before she came out with a towel draped over her still wet hair.

Bruce smiled at the girl and pulled the other chair in front of him, patting the seat. Once she was settled, he started helping her dry her hair, something that had become a habit for them.

"Felicia, do you have anywhere to go?"

The girl froze for a second before shaking her head.

Bruce lowered his hands, making sure the towel was wrapped around the girl's shoulders as he did so. "Would you like to come to New York?"

Bright eyes looked at him, hope buried deep and struggling to break free. "I can stay with you?"

The desperate hope she tried to hide in her voice brought a sad smile to his face, but he swiftly replaced it with a rather hopeful one of his own. "If you want to, I'm willing to try and make sure it happens."

Felicia reached out and grabbed one of his hands that he had rested in his lap. "I want to."

Bruce smiled at her. "Okay then."

**xXxXx**

Bruce was standing just inside the entrance of Stark Tower, now renamed for the Avengers, with Felicia tucked tightly into his side, not sure what to do. A crowd of business people began to come through the door and jostled them further into the tower until they were standing in the center of the floor. Felicia's already tight grip on his pants tightened and he put one hand on her furthest shoulder, gently holding her just a bit closer as he looked around trying to find the right person for him to talk to.

"Dr. Banner!"

Bruce felt relieved when he spotted Steve Rogers' smiling face in the crowd, steadily making his way towards him.

Steve's smile brightened when he finally made it through the after lunch rush of returning people. "It's good to see you again! How have you—" Steve blinked in surprise as he noticed the small child that was trying to bury herself into Bruce's leg. He softened his smile as he knelt down. "Hello there, miss."

Felicia flinched and tried to hide herself more behind Bruce's legs. Bruce gave Steve a sad, apologetic smile when he glanced up and gently stroked Felicia's hair.

"Felicia, it's okay. This is Steve Rogers. He will never hurt you, okay?"

Felicia stared up at Bruce for a moment before relaxing the tiniest bit, but not budging from her hiding spot.

Steve stood up and looked at Bruce, numerous questions in his eyes, but before he could speak the doors opened and Tony and Natasha came in, bickering about something.

Tony spotted Steve and Bruce and made a beeline to them. "Bruce, back me up here—Why is there a tiny thing in my tower?" He frowned and pointed at Felicia, his original thought completely derailed.

Felicia stared at the finger that was inches away from her face and tilted her head to the side, considering.

Natasha quirked a fine brow. "At the moment, I think she is contemplating biting your finger." Her red lips twitched with amusement as the child continued staring at the finger.

Tony pulled his finger back with a glare at Natasha.

Bruce rested a hand on Felicia's hair, feeling how tight her grip had gotten on his pants. "This is Felicia. I'm taking care of her. Felicia," She glanced up at him as he spoke. "This is Tony Stark and Natasha Romanov. They're my friends." He glanced at Tony. "I, uh, I was informed that you were holding my bags hostage?"

Tony was staring down at Felicia in confusion, but Bruce's question brought his head up with a grin. "Yes. Yes I am." A slight pout crossed his face. "But Steve wouldn't let me go through them."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Tony…"

Bruce smiled. "It probably would have confused you, since one of those bags has the clothes that were given to Felicia."

Tony blinked. "Opening one of your bags and finding a bunch of kid's clothes?" He blinked again. "Yes, that would have."

"How long do we have you, Doc?" Natasha looked at him, her eyes calculating and assessing.

"I thought, um, that I would get my bags, and then we'd find a place to stay and figure it out from there." He glanced down at Felicia who was a bit calmer now that it didn't seem like the others were going to touch her.

Tony immediately frowned. "Nonsense!" He turned and started walking towards the elevators. "You have a room here, and I'm sure we can figure something out for tiny! You don't have to go anywhere."

Bruce blinked in surprise. "Are you sure? I mean, you don't—"

"No stay, no bags!" Tony was smirking as he waited for them in the elevator, completely pleased with himself.

Steve rolled his eyes again, but was clearly trying to keep a smile off his face as he got on as well.

Natasha glanced sidelong at Bruce. "He can be such a child sometimes. But he's right in that you should stay here." She walked by them and into the elevator.

Bruce looked down at Felicia and stroked her hair. "You okay?" He waited until the girl gave a small nod before he went to the elevator as well, Felicia still attached to his leg.

When the elevator doors opened at their destination, Bruce was greeted by the sight of Agent Phil Coulson doing paperwork at the coffee table in the living room. Bruce froze in confusion and Felicia's grip tightened at the sight of the new person. Bruce blinked rapidly for a moment. "Clearly I've missed a lot."

Clint popped his head out of a doorway, a welcoming grin on his face. "You have no idea, Doc." He disappeared and the sound of running water was heard for a moment before he reappeared, drying his hands on a towel. "Who's the kiddo?"

At this comment, Coulson looked up from his files with a slight frown on his face.

Bruce shifted slightly, giving them a momentarily clearer view of the girl before she shifted behind his legs again. "This is Felicia, I'm taking care of her." He pointed to each of the men in turn. "This is Clint Barton and Phil Coulson, who I had thought passed away."

Coulson quirked a brow. "Are you sure that is wise with your…condition?"

Clint held up a hand. "Wait. More importantly, how long have you been taking care of her?"

Bruce's lips twitched into a smile. "Since before the latest incident."

"Since Chicago?" Clint squatted to be on eye level with the girl. "That's pretty impressive kiddo."

Coulson was still frowning. "And how long do you plan to take care of her?"

Bruce's hand tightened minutely on Felicia's shoulder as he looked at Coulson with determination. "As long as I possibly can." Bruce could feel Felicia's hands tighten on his slacks and hear the quiet sound of threads snapping.

Steve had a thoughtful frown on his face. "Wouldn't it be better for her to have a steady home life? Not travelling around all the time?"

Bruce could feel Felicia's body trembling rapidly.

Steve glanced around. "I mean, why don't both of you just stay here? Instead of wandering?"

Felicia's trembling froze in surprise and her grip slackened as she stared at Steve.

Tony's expression went thoughtful for a moment before he grinned. "That's good! But!" He pointed down at Felicia, who once again looked at his finger like she might bite it. "Ground rules! Don't touch my coffee, and don't enter my lab! Got it? Got it. Good."

With that he turned on his heel and left the room, considering the matter settled.

Bruce looked around at the others, his eye landing on Natasha first.

She smiled softly. "We are all living here now. Tony even prepared a room for Thor when he returns." She started, walking over to the sofa and settling gracefully. "And it would be nice to have another non-idiot in the residence."

Bruce looked over at Clint.

Clint grinned. "It's up to you, Doc."

Bruce turned to Steve.

"I wouldn't have suggested it if I wasn't okay with it." Steve smiled softly at the girl who was still hiding behind Bruce.

When Bruce turned to Coulson, he found the agent had disappeared. He knelt down to talk to Felicia.

"Do you want to try staying here?"

Felicia looked around the room quickly then examined the three other people in the room very carefully before turning back to Bruce and giving a tiny nod.

**xXxXx**

Director Fury scraped a hand across his brow. "What do you mean by 'there is now a child living in the Tower?'"

Coulson's expression was blank. "Exactly what I said."

**xXxXx**

**Author's Note: I have a lot of this story already plotted out, and it will be broken into three parts with maybe some one-shots. I plan to go till she is thirteen with Feral, and then continue with from that point in the next one. The series will go till she is in her twenties, as far as I have plotted. It will also cross over with a few other fandoms.**

**I hope you decide to stick with me on this ride.**

**Lady of the Shards**


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